Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

xấu lá xấu nem, xấu em xấu chị

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A bad leaf shames the roll; a bad sister shames the elder — flaws are contagious along every bundle and bloodline.

Literally: leaf ugly, nem ugly; younger ugly, elder ugly

Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “xấu lá xấu nem, xấu em xấu chị” mean?

A bad leaf shames the roll; a bad sister shames the elder — flaws are contagious along every bundle and bloodline. Literally: leaf ugly, nem ugly; younger ugly, elder ugly

Is “xấu lá xấu nem, xấu em xấu chị” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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